on Monday^ the iXtJi of February 1850. 233 



eleven, I saw a very large meteor under Orion's Belt, and 

 midway between that and the horizon. Its appearance was 

 instantaneous, and lasted about thirty seconds, emitting a most 

 brilliant light, which had at the period of its great intensity 

 a bluish tinge. So intense was the light, that I was enabled 

 to see the very smallest objects with perfect distinctness. The 

 course of the meteor was from north to south*, and it appeared 

 to be not less than twenty feet in length, and contracted and 

 expanded with the greatest rapidity, giving me the idea of an 

 enormous flaming umbrella, which was open and shut alter- 

 nately. The quarter of the sky in which it appeared was 

 covered with black clouds." 



XXII. My next information was from Hull, the following 

 particulars being furnished by William Lawton, Esq. 



" The meteor appeared at 20 minutes to eleven o'clock ; and 

 when I first saw it (which was not at the moment of its first 

 appearance), it was 5° N.E. of Sirius, advancing to the E.S.E. 

 in the direction of the stars ^ and 15 Argus, near which it 

 exploded at an altitude of 12°, and at about 15° west of the 

 meridian. 



" Its light was intense and dazzling in the extreme, and 

 created in my mind the impression of being a body in course 

 of explosion throughout its whole course ; its size seemed to be 

 about half the diameter of the moon. 



" I noted the time and its path immediately after its disap- 

 pearance, and with all the care the circumstances would per- 

 mit, with the view of enabling myself and others to ascertain 

 the length of its path and distance from the earth at the time 

 of bursting. 



" I heard no report or noise of any kind. There was a 

 slight tinge of blue in its light, which far exceeded that of the 

 full moon." 



The position of the meteor at the time of explosion, being 

 near 15 Argus, is well-marked ; at the time of observation the 

 star was near the meridian, and was 1 1° high at Hull ; there- 

 fore 12°, as stated above, must be very near the truth. 



XXIII. I shall conclude with one account more, which I 

 have received from John Douglas, Esq., of Raby Castle 

 Gardens, Standrop, Durham. 



" At about fifteen minutes to eleven, at Raby, I was ap- 

 proaching the castle from S.E., when suddenly the whole 

 surrounding atmosphere appeared brilliantly illuminated ; my 

 first impulse was hastily to survey the castle, thinking that 



• This traveller, I think, must have been deceived in the direction of the 

 meteor, probably by the windings of the road. 



